Thanks to @VariXx from Twitter I finally took the time to scan all my PAL Sega Saturn games, I will go for the Japanese ones next :) You can find the entire Saturn Collection here!
I haven’t been that fond of the Sega Saturn games since I got it a couple of years ago, but that’s probably because I have a lot of shitty games for it ;D And also I don’t really like the awkard beginning of 3D games, and the fact that they have to put “virtual” in almost any title ;D This is one of the reasons I only have 29 games for this system so far, but since I got the japanese saturn and tried out a bunch of puzzle games for that one, I’ve become more and more fond of the Saturn ^_^ I have another 25 games for the japanese Sega Saturn.
If anyone has any suggestions of good games (preferably platform, puzzle or 2D shooters ;D) for the Sega Saturn then please let me know! ^_^
Here are a few games that I enjoy from my PAL Saturn collection:
And here are the rest (check out the full size scans in the Sega Saturn collection library):
I know a lot of people are fond of the Panzer Dragoon series.. but I just don’t feel it holds up today.. and I never played it when it came out :/
Retro Video Gaming 
I have a Saturn but I haven’t really tried it out much. I’m curious about games that are the gems on the system. But I do remember some of these games from PC. Tomb Raiders were always great games and I remember Hexen being really good too.
Which are your favorites from your collection?
Hey, you two! The Saturn has some real gems, but you need to dig them up first! I bet you and Heidi will LOVE Astal, Keio Yugekitai (Keio Flying Squadron 2 – PAL title – it never got a US NTSC release!), BUG! and Bug, Too!, maybe the two clockwork knight games (the first one is really short!) Shin Shinbi Den, some of the pricey Japanese shmups, the SUPER-hard Assault Suit Leynos 2 (Japan), junky but fun stuff like Deep Fear (PAL and Japan-only horror game like Resident Evil but in an underwater base), maybe action-RPG’s like Dark Savior, Magic Knight Rayearth or strategy games such as Iron Storm, Heir of Zendor (for Eric), Panzer Dragoon Saga (EXPENSIVE as hell, but worth it), Shining the Holy Ark, Shining Force III (also expensive), and so forth and so on…
Eh, I’ll just post some library links. NOT even a big collection or anywhere near complete, but feel free to bug me if you need more in depth recommends:
I don’t have a Saturn, but I’d guess games that are good for other systems would be good for the Saturn as well. Unless they work worse because of hardware and such, that is.
Looks like you are missing the best Saturn game in your collection, Guardian Heroes. The only game you need for the Saturn :)
Hey! I’d suggest you forget about PAL release games and concentrate on Japan Saturn releases only. It’s like a different console!!! Once you discover some of the gems on this system that didn’t make it out of Japan you won’t look back. In fact the Saturn is one of my favourite systems:
A few suggestions:
Soukygurentai
Hyper Duel
Keio Flying Squadron 2
Layer Section
Batsugun
Radient Silvergun
Dodonpachi
Donpachi
Battle Garegga
Astal
Shinobi Legions
Clockwork Knight 1@2
Silhouette Mirage
Assault Suits Leynos 2
Sexy Parodius
Saturn Bomberman (10 player!)
The list goes on and on….
You’ve got to get Dark Savior. Its one of my alltime favorites and its (almost) like a sequel to the fantastic LandStalker from the Sega Genesis.
I have a U.S Saturn and I use this device called an Action Replay (the newest version of the Action Replay) to play Japanese Saturn games on it. One of my favorites is Keio Flying Squadron 2 (Keio Yuugekitai Katsugekihen). It is a BEAUTIFUL looking game and it’s very awesome. Here is Youtube footage:
Aside from the Japanese version (It costs me $85 in U.S money, but most of the time it runs about $99 in U.S money) there is a PAL version that’s in English. The problem is that the PAL version is very tough to find (it’s rare) and can be very expensive. If you see it at a good price, snatch it up. Otherwise, despite the Japanese voices and menu, the Japanese version is easy to play even with no knowledge of Japanese. Also, the game has (to my knowledge) two difficulty levels. It starts off as easy. It’s best to play it on easy before attempting to play it on hard (because the game gets rather evil when it is set to hard).
Also, another Saturn game that I have that I think is FANTASTIC and very BEAUTIFUL looking is a game called ASTAL. It’s awesome!! Plus, if you have a second player with you, they can control the bird (Astal’s friend) while you control Astal. Here is Youtube footage of ASTAL:
Great game. The japanese version of ASTAL (which is titled
Astal: Kagayo Suishou Densetsu. Same game, longer name). runs for about $35 in U.S money. The American version runs about $45 in U.S money. I do NOT know if there is a PAL version of the game (there doesn’t appear to be).
I would start going after those two games.
Definitely get Astal and Keio Flying Squadron 2 for the Sega Saturn.
Also, I do NOT know if the Action Replay runs on a PAL Saturn, but it runs PERFECTLY on an American Saturn. IF you want to experiment, you can get one BRAND NEW for a good price. I paid about $35 in U.S money for a brand new one (just make sure it’s the one in the purple box that says Action Replay and then says “PLUS” on a small yellow box surrounding the word “PLUS” that’s next to the words “Action Replay”. It will also say “4m Auto” in a circle. It’s compatible with ALL Japanese Saturn games, except Ultraman and King of Fighters 95 (those are the only two I know of that will not work).